Best Of Indie Games: I Came, I Saw, I Conquered

[[Every week, IndieGames.com: The Weblog co-editor Tim W. will be summing up some of the top free-to-download and commercial indie games from the last seven days on our sister 'state of indie' weblog.] This week on 'Best Of Indie Games', we take a look at some of the top independent PC Flash/downloadable titles released over this last week. The delights in this edition include the release of Terry Cavanagh's much-anticipated retro platformer, a physics-based snowboarding game, two entries from TIGSource's Assemblee contest, a tower defense game, and a remake loosely based on Transversion. Here's the highlights from the last seven days: Game Pick: 'VVVVVV' (Terry Cavanagh, commercial indie - demo available) "The lo-fi world of VVVVVV is indeed a wonderfully thought-out piece of art, with every nook and cranny of the overworld there for a reason. And as for the levels themselves, don't expect any filler material, as every new screen throws a new challenge your way. It's one of the game's strongest points - the excitement which comes from wondering what obstacle awaits you in the next room." Game Pick: 'Pixel Boarder' (PixelFriends, commercial indie - demo available) "Pixel Boarder is a physics-based snowboard stunt-o-rama and it's a great deal of fun. Controlling your boarder's arms via the left and right analog stick, it's tricky to begin with, but once it finally clicks, you can pull off a whole hoard of crazy moves. The key is to, well, not land on your head. That results in an owie." Game Pick: 'Realm of the Mad God' (Wild Shadow Studios, browser) "Realm of the Mad God is 'a massively co-op fantasy adventure' featuring a remarkably large world to roam and explore (inhabited by thousands of monsters), real-time battling, a full leveling up system, lots of different equipment and magic spells to experiment with and 5 different classes to choose from." Game Pick: 'DEBT' (Jon Wingrove, freeware) "Created for the TIGSource Assemblee contest, DEBT is the story of Owen Sterling, a spaceman with a massive amount of cash to pay off. With debt collectors on the way, it's your job to help Owen grab as much loot as he can before they show up." Game Pick: 'Squid and Let Die' (Robert D. Fearon, freeware) "Squid and Let Die is a fast-paced arcade game in which players have to collect all dots on screen to progress to the next level. Cannons will try to home in on your position and fire a shot at you, but you can dodge them with ease if you move quickly enough. The controls will take some getting used to, but players with a fondness for classic gaming will certainly want to add Oddbob's latest to their collection." Game Pick: 'Defend Your Honor' (Armor Games, browser) "Created by the guy behind the brilliant Upgrade Complete, Defend Your Honor follows the story of one loser's dream to be somebody and claim some pride. This involves finding the Golden Statue for the Walrus King via a series of tower defence levels, each a little more difficult than the next. Beginning with a single unit, your army grows over the course of the game, until there is chaos all over the screen."